After confirmation of several cases of the coronavirus, the Kuwaiti parliament has issued a list of measures aimed at controlling the outbreak.

As the seemingly unstoppable infection takes hold in the UAE, expats living and working in Kuwait are becoming increasingly concerned over its impact on their lives. According to local media, the emirate’s cabinet has now defined a number of measures aimed at preventing further cases from developing.

Firstly, all private and government schools, universities and military colleges will be forced to close between March 1 and March 12, as will Islamic Affairs educational centres. The Kuwait Supply Company will be tasked with supplying sufficient quantities of face masks to local markets in a push to curb infection, and sterilisation products will be made available. A parliamentary session is to be held in order to brief lawmakers on the measures put in place to combat the virus, and citizens and expats will be urged not to attend large gatherings as this may result in spreading the infection.

Also, the population should ignore fake news and rumours whilst understanding the reasons behind the protective measures now being taken. Importantly, a request for a specialised global medical team to be sent to the emirate will be made to the World Health Organisation as a means of having the new plans inspected and assessed.

According to reports, Kuwait’s confirmed cases originated in arrivals from Iran and all are now in a secure, well-equipped government hospital. Those found to be infected are in a stable condition and are being kept under strict quarantine. Plans are also being put into place for the evacuation of all Kuwaiti nationals from virus-hit countries, with those returned to the emirate facing testing and obligatory quarantine.